Denis Lee Takes Down WSOP Circuit Thunder Valley Main Event

Denis Lee emerged as the latest champion of the World Series of Poker Circuit main event held at Thunder Valley Casino near Sacramento, California. Hailing from Fremont, CA, Lee covered a journey of just over 100 miles to the venue and claimed his second WSOPC gold ring, along with the top prize of $207,020.

This victory also propelled Lee to the 10th position in the 2024 Player of the Year standings with 912 Card Player points, as presented by Global Poker.

In a field of 742 entries for the $1,700 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament, Lee secured his first-ever six-figure tournament payday. Prior to this triumph, his largest earnings were $15,843 for a sixth-place finish in a $365 buy-in event at the 2018 WSOPC stop at the same venue.

Lee’s previous ring was earned in a $400 buy-in no-limit event at the WSOPC Harvey’s Lake Tahoe stop in 2023, bringing in a $13,807 windfall. With this latest win, Lee’s total tournament earnings now exceed $329,000, with over $280,000 attributed to his success at WSOPC stops.

The event’s robust participation resulted in a final prize pool of $1,124,130, more than doubling the $500,000 guarantee. The top 113 finishers cashed in, with the top 18 receiving five figures or more.

Notable participants who made deep runs included bracelet and ring winner Dann Turner (9th), ring winner Randy Gil (5th), and Kaylen Lebaron (2nd). Lebaron’s runner-up payout of $127,720 marked his largest score to date, surpassing his $37,705 cash in the 2018 main event where he finished in 329th place.

The final hand of the tournament played out with all chips at stake on a Q♦J♠7♠2♣ board. Lee, holding J♥7♦, secured victory against Labaron’s J♦2♠ as the better two pair held up through the K♠ river, earning Lee the pot and the coveted title.

WSOPC Thunder Valley Main Event Final Table Results